Rosemary Bread {Macaroni Grill Copycat Recipe}

The main reason I go to Macaroni Grill is for their warm, freshly baked rosemary bread. I eat so much of it that by the time my entree comes I’m not really hungry anymore. I’m sure they are thinking; seriously this girl wants another loaf? Why yes, don’t mind if I do thank you…and another one after that please :). Unfortunately I don’t live very close to a Macaroni Grill so I had to learn how to make the bread at home.

I used fresh rosemary in this recipe but if you don’t have fresh you could substitute 1 1/2 Tbsp dried crushed rosemary. You could also add in some roasted garlic to the bread dough or add some fresh garlic to the dipping oil for another layer of flavor. And yes, just be sure you do serve it with the pepper oil for dipping – it’s the second best part. Hopefully this incredibly fluffy and flavorful bread will find it’s way to your dinner menu soon because you’re going to love it! Enjoy!

Instructions

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, whisk together 1/4 cup water, yeast and sugar until yeast has dissolved. Allow to rest 5 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil, remaining 3/4 cup warm water, 1 1/2 cups flour, the rosemary and fine salt and using the paddle attachment blend mixture until combined. Switch attachment on stand mixer to a hook attachment, add in 1 cup more flour and knead mixture on medium speed until smooth an elastic, adding additional flour as needed if dough is sticking to bowl. Cover bowl and allow to rest in a warm place until more than doubled, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Scoop dough out and divide into two equal portions. Grease a rimmed baking sheet with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and shape dough portions into ovals while folding tops into middle, tucking and pinching seams to build structure. Transfer to prepared baking sheet spacing evenly apart and allow to rest, uncovered, until more than doubled about 1 1/2 hours. Preheat oven to 400 degrees during last 10 minutes of rising.

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67 comments

Jennifer @ Mother Thyme: I am seriously craving this now! I have not been to Macaroni Grill in years since we moved and there is not one near us now. I can’t wait to try this, I always loved their bread! June 27, 2013 at 10:14pmReply

Elisa @ Insalata di Sillabe: I’m a huge bread-lover and this loaf looks sooo delicious! It would be perfect for summer parties with different kinds of dippings!

Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking: Such a gorgeous looking bread, Jaclyn! This is the kind of bread this is so perfect for dipping oils and plates full of meats and cheese. I love it! June 28, 2013 at 9:48amReply

chef zakir: It is also have delicious image. i will try it. June 28, 2013 at 11:28amReply

Joyce: Oh I love this bread! Haven’t had it forever and homemade is the best anyway!
Pinned it too-thanks for sharing,
Jemma June 28, 2013 at 1:36pmReply

laura: Can you give me a brand name of the dipping oil. i have not found a good one yet. June 28, 2013 at 5:03pmReply

ATasteOfMadness: I love making bread at home. I have never been to Macaroni Grill, but now I don’t have to with this recipe, thanks! June 28, 2013 at 9:31pmReply

Monica: I have never made home made bread but with my nice rosemary bush growing this will make a great recipe to try out …I have to ask I do not have the better mixer just a hand mixer so do I knead by hand longer? June 29, 2013 at 12:53pmReply

Jaclyn: Yes, I would just recommend kneading by hand longer – until the dough is smooth and elastic. I hope you love it! I wish I still had some left, I’ll have to make some more! July 3, 2013 at 9:08amReply

SA: In the ingredient list, the recipe calls for 1 cup warm water. In the instructions, only 1/4 cup water is used. What happens to the other 3/4 cup of water?
The dough was not sticking together, so I added the 3/4 cup water and some more flour until I got it to look like regular bread dough. July 6, 2013 at 8:20amReply

Jaclyn: Yes so sorry it goes in when you add the oil and other ingredients – added above, thanks! July 6, 2013 at 10:30amReply

Tamara S: My bread turned out SUPER salty! Any ideas where I went wrong? I cant even eat it. :( I guess I will try again. July 7, 2013 at 3:34pmReply

Jaclyn: Did you maybe accidentally add in a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon? If so then yes it would be too salty :). Sorry it didn’t turn out for you – hopefully it turns out perfect next time! July 7, 2013 at 4:24pmReply

Amy: This looks incredible! I looove Macaroni Grill’s bread (better than Olive Garden’s breadsticks, but shhh!) and I do the exact same thing: I eat so much bread I fill up before my entree arrives. I will definitely be trying this tonight! July 8, 2013 at 11:26amReply

Ann: Made this tonight, it was wonderful! August 11, 2013 at 5:08pmReply

Jaclyn: I’m so glad you liked it Ann! My cousin just had her wedding this weekend and at the dinner they served rolls that tasted exactly like this and I was in Heaven. It is one of my favorite breads! August 11, 2013 at 6:15pmReply

Lindsey: Just made this this morning and it is great! Mine just isn’t as pretty as the one in the photo :( August 14, 2013 at 11:21amReply

Monica: If I change yeast to instant yeast. Is there anything I should alter? September 9, 2013 at 11:40pmReply

Jaclyn: Yes, I believe you decrease the amount by 25%. September 19, 2013 at 10:58amReply

Nancy: The flavor on this was perfect, but I must have done something wrong, because the texture was not good – it was too dense – not enough air holes. I do NOT have an electronic mixer, so did all the mixing and kneading by hand. Also – I was confused about the folding and tucking to create structure – maybe you could include photos for those of us who don’t attempt bread-making that often? :) September 21, 2013 at 6:01pmReply

Jaclyn: Basically that folding and tucking is something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oyg8K6J8QM. I’d maybe recommend that you let it rise a bit longer next time and also make sure that the yeast hasn’t expired and that it’s active during proofing (when yeast and warm water are combined) to make sure it’s still “alive” (it should begin to sort of rise and foam). Hope that helps! October 1, 2013 at 5:23pmReply

Jamie Wright: Made this for dinner tonight to go along with homemade tomato soup…PERFECT combo. We quite enjoyed it! We also had a side of olive oil on a plate, with about 1/4 (of the olive oil amount) of balsamic vinegar in the middle of the oil puddle, and sprinkled fresh ground pepper over it….a delicious combination to dip your rosemary bread in. Thanks for the recipe! September 25, 2013 at 7:45pmReply

Jaclyn: The balsamic vinegar addition sounds delicious, I’ll have to try that next! I’m so glad you liked the bread Jamie! Thanks for your comment! October 5, 2013 at 7:22pmReply

Laura: Oh I’m trying this tonight!! I LoVe Macaroni Grill bread!! And I do the same, eat all the bread and then just order dessert ;) Life is short, so why not?! October 24, 2013 at 9:18amReply

Becca: Found you on Pinterest and am in the process of making your cinnamon sugar pretzel bites, but couldn’t help looking around at all the other yummy looking stuff you have. As a pregnant lady I am VERY excited to try several of these recipes, especially the Macaroni Grill Bread. Which is honestly the only reason I enjoy going to this restaurant :) January 18, 2014 at 3:55pmReply

Jaclyn: I hope you love the recipes Becca! I’m so glad you found my blog :)! Best of luck with the pregnancy, congratulations! January 27, 2014 at 9:14pmReply

Beth: Great recipe, thanks for posting it. I made this tonight with beef roast and went very well with it. January 19, 2014 at 2:35pmReply

Jaclyn: Perfect combo. I’m so glad you liked this bread Beth, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! January 20, 2014 at 2:51pmReply

Jen: This looks awesome! Has anyone made the dough in a bread machine? I’m wondering if that would work… February 9, 2014 at 1:22pmReply

Jen: Thanks for the recipe! I love this bread at MG. Has anyone tried making the dough in their bread machine? thanks for any suggestions you might have. ~jen February 9, 2014 at 7:44pmReply

Kim: Just made this tonight & wow, that is trouble… I made double, one with instant yeast & then with regular. Both taste amazing but the instant didn’t rise as much oddly enough, either way, had to come say thanks for such a great recipe… Now I can just gorge myself on wine & bread at home instead of going to the Macaroni Grill.. Absolutely in love over here. February 12, 2014 at 10:15pmReply

Jaclyn: I’m so glad you liked this bread Kim! How I wish I had a loaf now. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment! February 22, 2014 at 11:39pmReply

Lauri: I really like this recipe. Made it several times and serve it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip in. But has anyone ever tried freezing the dough? I buy the frozen balls of pizza dough and they work so well. Wondering if I could make this recipe and then freeze individual balls.
And if so would you freeze after the second rise? I’m not a bread maker so I really don’t know if there would be inherent problems. Advice? June 7, 2014 at 10:19amReply

Aubrey: I made this today and I have to say – it is really awesome! It turned out crusty on the outside and really soft and fluffy inside, plus, it had great flavor. I’ll definitely make this again. Thank you, Jacklyn! October 30, 2014 at 2:29amReply

Judy Reagan: THANK GOD someone shared this recipe!! ALL of our local Romano’s Mac Grills CLOSED abruptly today!! St Louis and Columbia MO have them no longer!! December 29, 2014 at 6:08pmReply

Crissy: This bread came out amazing. So soft, fluffy, and perfect amount of salt and rosemary. Can’t wait to make this again. A perfect recipe, didn’t put salt on top, but may try next time. The appearance and taste is spot on! March 31, 2015 at 5:47pmReply

Jaclyn: I’m so glad you liked it Crissy! Thanks so much for your feedback! April 4, 2015 at 4:14pmReply

Kimberly: I love this bread it’s fantastic! I was wondering how you store it though. I always have an extra loaf and am wondering the best way to store it to keep the soft consistency. May 19, 2015 at 5:17pmReply

Shannon: I made bread for the first time and used this recipe and it is really good. Only thing is my bread is kinda flat. I checked the temp of the water. Not sure how to make it rose higher. May 26, 2015 at 1:41amReply

Jaclyn: You could maybe try baking it in a pan to reduce spread. June 20, 2015 at 10:43pmReply

Joy: I made this yesterday and the bread tasted great! However, it seemed like once I put the dough on the baking sheets for the second rest period, the dough spread out more than up so the bread didn’t rise as much as I would like. Any suggestions? June 1, 2015 at 12:02pmReply

Jaclyn: Adding a little more flour next time should help. You could also try making it as rolls in muffin cups. June 6, 2015 at 11:22pmReply

Kimberly: How do you recommend storing the bread? I don’t want to get it too moist or too dry. June 5, 2015 at 8:22amReply

Jaclyn: Just in an airtight container or ziploc bag once cool. June 5, 2015 at 4:07pmReply

Katherine: Just tried this recipe and it turned out great! A perfect match to Macaroni Grill’s and so addicting! My husband and I finished off one of the loaves in five minutes.

I will say after eyeballing the dough, I decided to let it proof for closer to 3 hours instead of the 1.5 hours recommended before popping it in the oven. I think it needed it. August 17, 2015 at 4:41pmReply

Hannah: I’m making this bread next weekend the day before a dinner party. Is there anything I need to do when reheating? I have never made bread before. Thanks October 3, 2015 at 3:57pmReply

Jaclyn: I may under bake it just a touch if you are going to reheat in the oven, not so much that it’s doughy but just a few minutes under baked. Then if you plan on warming in the microwave I’d fully bake it. I hope you love it! October 5, 2015 at 1:23pmReply

Tina: Anyone tried this in a bread machine? Would love to try this recipe but afraid to try it by hand. I haven’t had good luck mixing by hand in the past with other recipes. November 13, 2015 at 10:11pmReply

Sandi O’Regan: I found this method. I will give it a go at some point:
Pour the water into the pan of a bread machine, then sprinkle in the yeast and sugar.
et the mixture sit in the bread machine until a creamy foam forms on top of the water, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle in the salt, then add olive oil, thyme, garlic powder, rosemary, and flour.
Set the machine for light crust setting, and start the machine.
Note: I use the light setting for the crust and the basic bread setting. February 11, 2017 at 1:51pmReply

nina: so good…crust came out flaky and crunchy and insides were soft, moist, and perfectly cooked. i had to reign myself in from eating a whole loaf by myself!

i also drizzled a little olive oil on the top of the dough before i let it rise the first time. (my breads in the past have enjoyed some oil while rising – this was no exception!). and i’m not sure what i did, but my bread actually rose more than the pictures! so it’s possible.

Ryan Williams: To exactly mimic the Macaroni Grill bread, you would need to add a little bit of fresh thyme to the bread. Also, they don’t return it to the oven after the oil brush and salt… The dip is just good extra virgin olive oil and fresh black pepper, though, some good grana padana or parmesan cheese is great in there too. (I worked at a Macaroni Grill for a couple of years) August 14, 2016 at 9:44amReply

Lucy: Thank you for the recipe:) I’m making it tomorrow. Do you think that I can let it rise in the refrigerator over night? Thanks November 21, 2016 at 9:12amReply

Gina M Davis: I love this bread and I like you just go to M.G for it! I have found if you add fresh chopped Basil to it OMG it goes from AMAZING TO OMG IT’S AMAZING!! LOL September 14, 2017 at 2:00pmReply

Heather: Is it possible to use whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour? December 27, 2017 at 2:14pmReply

Jaclyn: I would use half wheat flour (the regular or pastry – or even better white whole wheat), then half white flour. December 27, 2017 at 10:51pmReply

Katy M: The family really enjoyed this. Next time I will double it as it made two smallish loaves. We used 1 1/2 loaves with one meal. I needed to add 2 1/2 almost 3 cups of flour before it lost the stickiness. January 16, 2018 at 5:04pmReply

Barbara: Wonderful bread. Very close to Romano’s. Leftover bread heated up well too. Glad to find this recipe. I used in breadmaker and let it do all the work. Just added ingredients and had perfect bread whenit was done. January 21, 2018 at 6:20amReply

Jaclyn: Thanks for the positive feedback Barbara! January 23, 2018 at 2:52pmReply

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